4 Simple Ways to Extend Your Blowout | April 2018

Blowout – done. Next on the to-do list – go out for a meal, perhaps to drinks, SOMEWHERE, because your hair is fly and you aren’t going to waste this first day hair sitting alone at home. But how can you get that first day hair look and feel, long after the first day? You know sleep will totally jack up those tresses. Even worse, if rain is in the forecast for the next few days, there’s a high chance that you’ll be rockin’ those curls like the salon never saw you this week. Yeah, we know all the steps – silk or satin sleeping gear, keep it dry; but often silk bonnets look like granny’s printed shower cap, and keeping your hair dry for a week can turn into a full-time job. Well, PRESSED Blog is here to tell you that it doesn’t need to be that way. We are living in 2018 and we have all the tools to make you an expert at prolonging your blowout, so that every day is first day hair day.

Silk and Satin

If you don’t already have a silk or satin bonnet—buy one! It’ll keep even the most active sleeper’s blowout sleek by retaining the moisture that a cotton pillowcase literally absorbs. Yes, this means that your everyday cotton pillowcase is increasing the likelihood of you having dry, rough hair, split ends or other forms of mechanical damage. While it may be the furthest thing on your mind after a long day, simply wrapping your hair up (like Rihanna at the 2013 AMAs), and slipping a silk cap on, could contribute to your hair growing healthier by leaps and bounds. Also, because it’s 2018, your bonnet doesn’t need to look like your grandmas! Grace Eleyae has a range of satin-lined bonnets that can double as a beanie. Which, if you didn’t know, means that you can wear it outside!

If wrapping your hair doesn’t suit your style, using pin-curls under your bonnet, or investing in a silk or satin pillowcase will achieve the same goal.

Keepin’ it Dry

Obviously, we didn’t spend our time and money at a salon, just to have it revert to its natural state in the first few days. A surprise rain storm, or even a nice, hot, shower can turn into your hair’s worst nightmare. At the slightest hint of moisture, we use hoods, umbrellas, hats, or practice complete avoidance. Not only are we contributing to the mechanical damage of our fragile strands by using non-silk or satin materials to cover up, but we look like people who are avoiding water. That’s not cute.

Even though hair technology hasn’t advanced enough to deliver us healthy, waterproof blowouts, the people at Shhhowercap have given us the chance to look a little cuter while protecting our hair from water, both in the shower and on the street. The prints on these shower caps make them look more like a stylish head wrap than the water-repellant secret that they are. Zero Fatigue’s satin-hooded hoodies also protect you from the water while simultaneously helping you retain moisture. If neither look is appropriate for your situation, a tried and true clear bubble umbrella will keep you dry from the neck up without cutting off your line of sight!

Never Fear an Up-Do

Even the most well-maintained blowouts have an expiration date. In those final days before your next wash day when your hair doesn’t look its best down, put it up! Up-dos often look better with day 3-5 day hair because the hair holds better with less product and fewer styling tools. Take that straight hair and turn it into a fauxhawk or some cute Dutch braids. Stay tuned to PRESSED Blog for more detailed ideas on cute up-do looks that are easy to achieve!

For those that prefer to wear their hair down, and want to keep that straight look – but also want to avoid hitting their tresses with the flat iron again – dry shampoo may be your best bet. Make sure you limit the dry shampoo to your scalp to avoid drying out your hair or causing build up. You can also consider knotting your hair up in bantu knots at night and taking them out in the morning for a new, wavy, curly look.

Limit Additional Heat Styling

There’s nothing worse than when our stylist sends us out the door with hair that blows like Beyoncé’s on stage during an “On the Run Tour”, and we hit a little humidity on our way home, making our roots start to frizz up. So, we run for the flat iron to re-straighten our lost soldiers.

This is a mistake.

Good stylists are professionally trained and have mastered the art of straightening our hair without causing any damage. However, our strands are still susceptible! A blowout is not armor against subsequent damage. We don’t want to put more heat on our hair after we’ve already treated our whole head to heat styling. Morning touch-ups and pre-club styling is the way we turn our un-damaged hair to damaged hair.

Many of us opt for the straight styles because they tend to take less energy to maintain. But less maintenance doesn’t mean no maintenance. Caring for your hair should never end in the salon. Regardless of how you wear your hair, keeping your hair looking good and feeling good, requires a little effort and TLC every day.